Name: _________________________________________
6B- _____
Date: _________________________________
Reading: Character, Methods of Characterization, and Motivation
Character: a person (or animal) in a story.
Protagonist: a main character, often the “hero,” of a story
Antagonist: a person who challenges, attacks, or works against the main
character/protagonist; the enemy of the main character. (Not every story
has one.)
Major or Main Character: a character who plays a central role in the story;
often, main characters appear frequently in the plot and / or strongly affect
the conflict (problem) of the story. Basically, main characters often change
the course of action in a story. In most cases, a 1st-person narrator will be a
main character, or, if a narrator focuses on a character, this character will
become a main character.
Minor Character: any character who is not a main character. Minor
characters tend to play a background role in the story. They don’t appear
often, and they tend to help readers understand main characters better.
Sometimes they simply serve as “extras,” people who remain nameless or
who don’t have a major impact on the course of the story.
“3-Dimensional”/”Round” Character: an interesting, unique character who’s not
exactly what you’d expect; a character who’s realistic, or believable, but not
necessarily predictable. Three-dimensional characters tend to offer more than
meets the eye.
Stereotypical/”Flat” Character: a predictable character who behaves just as you’d
expect; a character who stands for a certain type of person, without being unique.
Common stereotypes include the wimp, the jock, the princess, the nerd, the showoff, and more…
Characterization: the way an author builds, or creates, a character’s identity.
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Methods of Characterization: Below are some of the main ways an author can
build a personality for a character.
*The examples below are not meant to show Gordon Korman’s
characterization of one character; instead, they show Korman’s
characterization of a variety of characters.
I. A Character’s DAFT: The dialogue, actions, feelings, and thoughts of a
character, himself or herself. This inside point of view, coming directly from
a character, allows readers to look at how the character portrays (shows,
describes, depicts, presents) himself or herself.
1.
Dialogue:
The things a character says aloud, in dialogue, can show
her personality.
Ex: As Cap gains popularity by making charitable donations, Zach
says to Hugh, “…Cap’s president. We’re stuck with that. But there’s
still time to puncture the tires of this bandwagon before the
Halloween dance ratchets him up to icon status.” (p. 126)
2.
Actions:
The things a character does; a character’s behavior.
Ex: Realizing how charitable Cap has been, Zach adds up the money
that Cap has donated to charity, noting that Cap “…gave eight hundred
to the food drive in the cafeteria. Five hundred to cancer research.
The same to Alzheimer’s disease. They may have called it the March
of Dimes, but that didn’t stop Cap from forking over six-fifty. He even
stuck checks into the slots of those cans designed for people to drop
their spare change.” (p. 122)
3.
Feelings:
A character’s feelings  his or her fears, affections, worries, or
delights  which he or she usually shares through narration, not through
dialogue.
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Ex: When Cap acknowledges to Hugh how much he enjoys having so
many new friends, Hugh thinks, in response, “I recoiled as if he’d
slapped me. Being liked was a feeling I didn’t know… And to have
that rubbed in my face by my one kindred spirit, the only person who
was more of an outsider than I was  it was the ultimate insult… To
say to me  someone who’d never experienced a popular minute,
much less a popular day  was beyond cruel. Nothing could have
made me feel worse than I did at that instant.” (p. 119)
4.
Thoughts:
A character’s thoughts tend to appear in narration, not in
dialogue. They often reveal the private side of a character  the ideas,
reactions, hopes, and observations that a character doesn’t share aloud
with the rest of the world but, instead, keeps private in his or her mind.
Ex: When Cap donates the school’s money  which was dedicated for
the Halloween dance  to charity, Cap’s classmates adore him, and
Hugh thinks, “That was when I experienced a moment of stunning
understanding. Popularity had nothing to do with the truth… What
really mattered was image…” (p. 116)
II. Other Characters’ DAFT: The dialogue, actions, feelings, and thoughts of
other characters, people who offer outside points of view on a
particular character. These outside points of view allow readers to
see a particular character from different perspectives. These outside
viewpoints might match a particular character’s portrayal of him- or herself,
or they might oppose the way a particular character portrays himself or
herself. Either way, other characters’ treatment of a character adds richness
to this character’s identity. As readers, our job is to add together all of these
characterizations in an effort to understand who a character really is,
including as many nuances and angles as possible, weighing them to see
which points of view best define the true nature of a character. After all, our
own personal behaviors are not always consistent, and others might see us
differently than we see ourselves.
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1.
Dialogue:
When Hugh suggests that Zach deserves payback for all of the
mean things he’s done, Zach defends himself by replying, “ ‘My whole life,
it’s always been obvious what sports to play, what bands to listen to, what
people to hang out with. It’s as if I was born with a natural guidance
system inside my head, showing me how to be cool.’ My brow clouded.
‘But Cap Anderson doesn’t come with a book of instructions.’ ”(p. 161)
2.
Action:
Describing the change in Naomi’s relationship with Cap, Hugh
recalls the signs of her newfound admiration, and thinks, “She was star
pupil of his tai-chi group; she was constantly turning up at his locker to
show him a new peace-sign bracelet she’d bought, or a magazine article
on Vietnam or the Beatles or anything about the sixties. Come to think of
it, hers had been the first face at the door after the PA announcement on
tie-dyeing day…” (p. 116)
3.
Feelings:
Contemplating Cap’s relationship with her daughter, Sophie,
and all the difficult challenges that lay ahead for him in his new school,
Mrs. Donelly thinks, “I felt terrible for poor Cap. It was hard enough for
him to come out of total isolation at Garland without having to be
dropped into the snake pit that was middle school.” (p. 46)
Ex: As Hugh observes an enormous gathering of his classmates, all
holding candles to honor Cap, he thinks, “Zach. I’d spent most of my life
either afraid of him, jealous of him, or just hanging there while he
stretched the waistband of my underwear over a parking meter. We were
never going to be best friends, but I had to admire the guy. He was a
genius! Not book-smart, but a master when it came to crafting his public
image.” (p. 190)
4.
Thoughts:
When Cap meditates in response to one of Naomi’s pranks,
she thinks, “…Cap was weird, but there was more to it than that. There
was something inside him that nobody else understood, something
mysterious and strong… a kind of strength that gave him the self-control
to meditate instead of falling apart, or to ignore what other people
thought, and find meaning in a dead bird.” (p. 66)
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Ex: When Sophie realizes that Cap, not her father, has bought and
inscribed the bangle for her, she thinks, “[Cap] got absolutely nothing
in return. He couldn’t expect so much as a thank-you, since the gift
was supposed to be from someone else. He did this for no other
reason than to make me happy.” (p. 176)
III. Biographical information & Physical Appearance: The basic facts of a
character’s life (appearance (hair color, height, eye color, build, etc.); hometown;
birth order; birthplace; religion; cultural heritage; age; nicknames; etc.) that might
help identify him or her:
Ex: “Eleven hundred kids took in the sight of a genuine middle school
hippie this tall, skinny, longhaired boy in tie-dye, toes poking out of those
home-made sandals. He looked so silly, so goofy, so weird that he was almost
cute. Not attractive, but adorable in the sense that you can’t help pitying
him like a wet puppy rolled in sand. (p. 36)
Motivation: A character’s motivation is what the character wants; what pushes the
character to behave as he or she does; what drives the character to be who he or she
is; or what causes a character to take a certain approach to life.
Exs:
One of Cap’s motivations is to please Rain. As a result, he often recites
her life lessons and attempts to live by them.
He also wants to be a good school president. As a result, he tries to
learn the names of every student at C Average Middle School.
Character Traits: A character trait is a distinguishing descriptive word (an
adjective) that describes an important part of a character’s personality.
Traits should not be too general, too simple, or too superficial (nice, funny,
cool, mean, special, amazing, etc.). Traits should not rely on judgmental language
(weird, stupid, dumb, abnormal, clueless, cocky, etc.) or slang (beast, boss, cool, “it,”
dweeby, cheesy, etc.). Finally, traits should not describe a character’s looks (pretty,
ugly, tall, muscular, thin, broad-shouldered, attractive, sloppy, neat, etc.).
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Examples of Character Traits:
Self-Assured, Confident
Insecure, Timid, Fearful, Awkward
Selfless, Humble, Modest, Unassuming,
Self-Centered, Narcissistic, Conceited,
Respectful, Attentive
Arrogant, Superficial, Materialistic, SelfAbsorbed, Self-Righteous
Loyal, Altruistic, Faithful
Disloyal, Opportunistic
Mature, Responsible, Trustworthy
Immature, Irresponsible, Untrustworthy
Wholesome, Philanthropic, Humane,
Malicious, Malevolent, Mischievous,
Compassionate, Empathetic, Pacifistic,
Inhumane, Insidious, Conniving,
Even-Tempered, Easy-Going,
Argumentative, Quarrelsome,
Benevolent, Noble, Virtuous, Dignified
Aggressive, Restless, Irritable,
Cantankerous, Ill-Tempered
Honest, Sincere, Candid, Outspoken
Dishonest, Insincere, Deceitful,
Conniving
Observant, Perceptive, Wise, Insightful
Apathetic, Gullible, Passive, Vulnerable,
Foolish, Naïve, Ignorant
Open-Minded, Adaptable, Reflective,
Close-Minded, Stubborn, Judgmental,
Fair, Impartial, Unbiased,
Critical, Cynical, Biased, Prejudiced,
Rational, Even-Handed, Conscientious,
Intolerant, Bigoted, Discriminatory,
Righteous, Well-Intentioned, Tolerant,
Narrow-Minded, Opinionated, Unjust
Lenient
Courageous, Bold, Audacious, Brave,
Fearful, Regretful, Cowardly, Meek,
Assertive, Uninhibited, Expressive
Timid, Shy, Retiring, Reserved,
Withdrawn, Solitary, Inhibited, Shameful
Moral, Ethical, Scrupulous, Honorable,
Immoral, Unethical, Unprincipled,
Reputable, Genuine, Unpretentious
Unscrupulous, Dishonorable, Corrupt,
Fraudulent, Deceitful, Duplicitous,
Hypocritical
Optimistic, Hopeful, Idealist
Pessimistic, Negative
Powerful, Domineering
Powerless, Submissive
Charismatic, Charming, Polite
Despicable, Loathsome, Rude, Smug
Generous, Charitable
Miserly, Spiteful, Unmerciful
Patient
Impatient
Introverted, Extroverted
Anti-Social, Deviant
Superior, Ambitious, Power-Hungry,
Inferior, Self-Conscious
Competitive
Determined, Persistent, Tenacious,
Indecisive, Hesitant, Self-Doubting,
Resolute, Steadfast, Insistent, Decisive,
Faltering, Fickle, Ambivalent,
Committed, Dedicated, Diligent,
Non-Committal,
Industrious, Meticulous, Thorough
Grateful, Appreciative, Gracious
Ungrateful, Unappreciative
Independent, Self-Sufficient, Resourceful, Dependent, Needy, Unimaginative, Dull,
Imaginative, Creative, Practical,
Insipid, Sheltered
Inventive, Original, Quirky, Idiosyncratic
Note: A character trait is NOT a physical description: tall, short, messy, neat, etc.; a
mood (bored, “hyper”); a temporary reaction (stunned, surprised, shocked,
confused); a noun: leader, follower, hippy, bully, athlete, jock, etc.
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